Some aspects of the disclosure relate to a system for delivering heating for therapeutic and/or comfort purposes, and in particular to a system for improving the perceived heat availability of heating systems.
Applying therapy to various parts of a body is a recognized practice for curing or alleviating multiple kinds of physical problems. One example therapy applies heat to an area of a body using a heating pad to treat symptoms such as stiffness, muscle pain, cold hands and feet, lumbago, rheumatism, and neuralgia, among others.
One concern with using heating pads or patches to apply therapy is that they are often slow to rise to their effective temperature. A typical heat patch generates heat via either an exothermic reaction that takes place within the heat patch, or an exothermic electrical resistive heating, but that exothermic heat source is not immediately felt. Heat patches that generate heat using an exothermic heat source usually include an enclosure and a heating source that is stored within the enclosure. For the case in which the heating source is a chemical composition, at least one section of the enclosure can be air-permeable such that exposing the heating composition to air generates an exothermic reaction that increases the temperature of the heat patch.
In addition, many articles intended for personal wear, e.g., such as feminine hygiene products, adult incontinence products, bandages, medical garments and the like are designed to be sufficiently absorbent to pull moisture from liquid body exudates including urine, menses, blood, etc. away from the wearer. Because of the nature of such products, the skin areas to which they are commonly applied are often sensitive, leading to the feeling that the products are cool or cold upon initial application. In addition, other commonly-used products intended to be used in proximity to an individual's skin may also feel cool or cold upon initial application or use.